Last year PS Game 3 was the most stellar Defensive game I can recall seeing. The way our Defensive Starters stymied Brady and Co. was beautiful, and yet the rest of the year, what happened? I kept expecting the Lions to come out blowing teams up like they did NE, who was a significant playoff team, and yet we didn't do that consistantly.

SF was a good game, but had some gaffsDallas was a good game but could/should have been better with our better DAtlanta, not sure what happened unless it was a hangover from SF game

With all of the close games, I just don't recall the Lions being as dominant as they were in PS game #3, is it consistancy?

You are looking at a PS game? Very little game planning goes into a PS game. In a game plan you are trying to exploit a teams weaknesses and limit a teams strengths (like Suh). That game was simply mano a mano and Suh was going to win those battles.

There is a reason why some players can really stand out in the PS but once the regular season rolls around they become much more human.

Exactly. Even in the 3rd preseason games, teams don't game plan or call plays like they would in the regular season. It's as close as the preseason ever gets to the regular season, but it's still a long way off. It's not an apt comparison at all.

Tuesday's SportsNation chat brought us the first round of "Did Team X elevate over Team Y after the draft" questions. I was never a big algebra guy, and I'm not ready to start playing favorites here in the NFC North.

But it is probably time to start the discussion, and we'll use two offense-related questions from the chat as a springboard. The exchanges:

Will (Texas)

If healthy, does Ryan Broyles makes Detroit's offense more explosive than Green Bay's?

Kevin Seifert (2:28 PM)

The one place where the Packers would be more explosive, but probably not more productive, is at tight end. Finley more explosive downfield than Pettigrew.

Gordy B (Houston)

Is it fair to say, assuming Forte is playing behind Cutler, with the additions of Brandon Marshall, Mike Bush and now Alshon Jeffery in front of Devin Hester and Earl Bennett, the Bears have the most COMPLETE offense in the division?

Kevin Seifert (2:54 PM)

That's a fair way to look at it. They're best equipped to make significant game-planning changes week-to-week based on matchups, that's for sure.

We took a look last month at the Bears' offensive hopes under new coordinator Mike Tice, noting they are well on their way to being the NFC North's most balanced offense. I'm not sure if they'll be explosive enough to compete throw for throw with the Packers and Lions, but I'm also not sure they want to.

If "explosion" is defined by the ability to make big/long plays, the Packers had the clear edge over the Lions in 2011. Most notably, they averaged 9.3 yards per attempt to the Lions' 7.6. Meanwhile, the Lions threw 114 more passes than the Packers last season, but the Packers still had five more completions of at least 20 yards.

Assuming he is healthy, can Broyles close the gap? Here's what Scouts Inc. had to say about his big-play ability: "Quicker than fast and does not appear to have the long speed to consistently get behind defenses. However, catches the ball effortlessly on the run and quickly turns up field. An elusive and slippery runner when hitting the open field. Can create and turn and short throw into a long gain. Does not have the extra gear to consistently out run pursuit that has favorable angles."

The Packers had one of the best offenses in NFL history last season, and it will be tough for any team -- including the 2012 Packers -- to match it. But if the Lions match or exceed the Packers' explosiveness, my guess is that it will be more a product of their continued maturation as a group than Broyles' impact alone.

MEANWHILE, the Packers had a draft almost exclusively focused on their defense. Any additional 'explosiveness' offered up by the Lions would be mitigated by what should be a more stout Packers defense.

And therein lies my frustration with this years draft. We have still not positioned ourselves to beat the Packers.

Author:

regularjoe12 [ May 2nd, 2012, 12:28 pm ]

Post subject:

Re: Your Thoughts Post 2012 Draft

actually warrior....if you look at the first 6 games of the regular season our pass d was actually average if not better. I dont know if it was getting nicked up, or a loss of confidence, or just opposing coaches sceming us better but it wasn't untill after the bi week taht our pass D started to truely sucked.

Author:

njroar [ May 2nd, 2012, 1:00 pm ]

Post subject:

Re: Your Thoughts Post 2012 Draft

regularjoe12 wrote:

actually warrior....if you look at the first 6 games of the regular season our pass d was actually average if not better. I dont know if it was getting nicked up, or a loss of confidence, or just opposing coaches sceming us better but it wasn't untill after the bi week taht our pass D started to truely sucked.

I'll tell you why the D looked worse after that point. Our Dline rotation changed. Lojack was out with a hamstring for a few weeks starting with the Chicago game, and when the line isn't fresh, there's more pressure on the corners. Houston held up ok until injuries, Wright did not. Berry stepped up adequately, but not great, and Smith got exposed. This is why we have the deep Dline rotations. With Lojack out, Fairley in and out, as well as Young and KVB having injurie issues that kept them from being 100%, our secondary then became an issue.

I wouldn't be surprised if they kept Brown as an extra DL this year as injury insurance. If one goes down, at least the rotation stays and guys stay fresh.

As to Wright, he played well at times, then other times he played worse than Smith. The inconsistency is what hurt him. If Berry or even Bently can step up and play even average consistently, it will be a major improvement.

Author:

wjb21ndtown [ May 2nd, 2012, 1:24 pm ]

Post subject:

Re: Your Thoughts Post 2012 Draft

njroar wrote:

regularjoe12 wrote:

actually warrior....if you look at the first 6 games of the regular season our pass d was actually average if not better. I dont know if it was getting nicked up, or a loss of confidence, or just opposing coaches sceming us better but it wasn't untill after the bi week taht our pass D started to truely sucked.

I'll tell you why the D looked worse after that point. Our Dline rotation changed. Lojack was out with a hamstring for a few weeks starting with the Chicago game, and when the line isn't fresh, there's more pressure on the corners. Houston held up ok until injuries, Wright did not. Berry stepped up adequately, but not great, and Smith got exposed. This is why we have the deep Dline rotations. With Lojack out, Fairley in and out, as well as Young and KVB having injurie issues that kept them from being 100%, our secondary then became an issue.

I wouldn't be surprised if they kept Brown as an extra DL this year as injury insurance. If one goes down, at least the rotation stays and guys stay fresh.

As to Wright, he played well at times, then other times he played worse than Smith. The inconsistency is what hurt him. If Berry or even Bently can step up and play even average consistently, it will be a major improvement.

I agree with you.

IMO that's why it was so critical in the Saints game to keep our D on the sideline, and well rested. If our offense doesn't go 3 and out multiple times in a row, that's a completely different game.

Author:

The Legend [ May 2nd, 2012, 8:19 pm ]

Post subject:

Re: Your Thoughts Post 2012 Draft

Quote:

MEANWHILE, the Packers had a draft almost exclusively focused on their defense. Any additional 'explosiveness' offered up by the Lions would be mitigated by what should be a more stout Packers defense.

And therein lies my frustration with this years draft. We have still not positioned ourselves to beat the Packers.

all we need to beat the pack is a healthy DL as the other poster suggested. no corner that was available to us in rd 1 or rd 2 would have made a significant immediate impact except maybe jenkins who clearly they were not interested in with his huge red flags. lets not forget that the lions beat the super bowl champion 2010-11 packers with drew stanton at qb before we go all gloom and doom with this. the games are played for a reason

Author:

The Legend [ May 2nd, 2012, 8:28 pm ]

Post subject:

Re: Your Thoughts Post 2012 Draft

Quote:

actually warrior....if you look at the first 6 games of the regular season our pass d was actually average if not better. I dont know if it was getting nicked up, or a loss of confidence, or just opposing coaches sceming us better but it wasn't untill after the bi week taht our pass D started to truely sucked.

heading into week 11 the lions were No 5 in the NFL vs the pass and giving up just 193 yards per game through the air so they were actually far far above average before the injuries ran rampant. the talent is there on the defense.

Author:

conversion02 [ May 2nd, 2012, 11:05 pm ]

Post subject:

Re: Your Thoughts Post 2012 Draft

Legend - that and coaches started scheming against the wide 9. Suh looked useless at times after that 5-0 start because that's when you could really notice the opposing OCs play calls were significantly changing.

Author:

The Legend [ May 2nd, 2012, 11:10 pm ]

Post subject:

Re: Your Thoughts Post 2012 Draft

i wouldnt blame suh alone, the entire d line got exposed. corey williams is the only DT that plays fundamental football and was able to adjust. the others were pushing upfield and the coaching did nothing to adjust.

Tuesday's SportsNation chat brought us the first round of "Did Team X elevate over Team Y after the draft" questions. I was never a big algebra guy, and I'm not ready to start playing favorites here in the NFC North.

But it is probably time to start the discussion, and we'll use two offense-related questions from the chat as a springboard. The exchanges:

Will (Texas)

If healthy, does Ryan Broyles makes Detroit's offense more explosive than Green Bay's?

Kevin Seifert (2:28 PM)

The one place where the Packers would be more explosive, but probably not more productive, is at tight end. Finley more explosive downfield than Pettigrew.

Gordy B (Houston)

Is it fair to say, assuming Forte is playing behind Cutler, with the additions of Brandon Marshall, Mike Bush and now Alshon Jeffery in front of Devin Hester and Earl Bennett, the Bears have the most COMPLETE offense in the division?

Kevin Seifert (2:54 PM)

That's a fair way to look at it. They're best equipped to make significant game-planning changes week-to-week based on matchups, that's for sure.

We took a look last month at the Bears' offensive hopes under new coordinator Mike Tice, noting they are well on their way to being the NFC North's most balanced offense. I'm not sure if they'll be explosive enough to compete throw for throw with the Packers and Lions, but I'm also not sure they want to.

If "explosion" is defined by the ability to make big/long plays, the Packers had the clear edge over the Lions in 2011. Most notably, they averaged 9.3 yards per attempt to the Lions' 7.6. Meanwhile, the Lions threw 114 more passes than the Packers last season, but the Packers still had five more completions of at least 20 yards.

Assuming he is healthy, can Broyles close the gap? Here's what Scouts Inc. had to say about his big-play ability: "Quicker than fast and does not appear to have the long speed to consistently get behind defenses. However, catches the ball effortlessly on the run and quickly turns up field. An elusive and slippery runner when hitting the open field. Can create and turn and short throw into a long gain. Does not have the extra gear to consistently out run pursuit that has favorable angles."

The Packers had one of the best offenses in NFL history last season, and it will be tough for any team -- including the 2012 Packers -- to match it. But if the Lions match or exceed the Packers' explosiveness, my guess is that it will be more a product of their continued maturation as a group than Broyles' impact alone.

MEANWHILE, the Packers had a draft almost exclusively focused on their defense. Any additional 'explosiveness' offered up by the Lions would be mitigated by what should be a more stout Packers defense.

And therein lies my frustration with this years draft. We have still not positioned ourselves to beat the Packers.

The World must be coming to an end. I am agreeing with LF57 two days in a row. LOL.IMHO we lost ground because we are just as vulnerable in our secondary, if not more so since Wright left in FA, as we were at the end of last year. And the Bears and Packers have Offenses that are capable of exploiting our DB's. We might only win 1 division game this year. Our home game against the Vikings. Our most glaring weakness from last year is still our most glaring weakness this year. But, after Matt Flynn and Drew Brees showed the league how to beat us at the end of last year, I expect a long, long season. 1 that will leave absolutely no doubt what we better take care of in the next off season. CB.

Author:

LionFan57 [ May 3rd, 2012, 5:28 am ]

Post subject:

Re: Your Thoughts Post 2012 Draft

The Legend wrote:

Quote:

MEANWHILE, the Packers had a draft almost exclusively focused on their defense. Any additional 'explosiveness' offered up by the Lions would be mitigated by what should be a more stout Packers defense.

And therein lies my frustration with this years draft. We have still not positioned ourselves to beat the Packers.

all we need to beat the pack is a healthy DL as the other poster suggested. no corner that was available to us in rd 1 or rd 2 would have made a significant immediate impact except maybe jenkins who clearly they were not interested in with his huge red flags. lets not forget that the lions beat the super bowl champion 2010-11 packers with drew stanton at qb before we go all gloom and doom with this. the games are played for a reason

Let's not forget that they beat us with their back-up QB as well.

Furthermore, I disagree that all we need is a healthy DL to beat the Packers. AND, even IF I believed that, what happens if 1 of 4 starters happens to be out that day?

This team had a less than spectacular free agency and, IMO, a 'C-' draft. I feel that the Packers have had a far better off season than we have.

I'm not sure I agree that no corner was available in rd 2; regardless, by definition a slot receiver (potential 3rd WR) is NOT a starter either. Broyles was a luxury pick that we couldn't afford. Broyles over Konz was in a word - moronic! Another word is - inexplicable.

All in all, The Pack has improved more this off season than the Lions have and so have the bears for that matter.

Author:

The Legend [ May 4th, 2012, 12:21 am ]

Post subject:

Re: Your Thoughts Post 2012 Draft

well its not a slam dunk like i made it sound but we have a shot at them, the team is built the right way to compete with them

Author:

DisgruntledFan [ May 4th, 2012, 2:36 am ]

Post subject:

Re: Your Thoughts Post 2012 Draft

I'm coming to terms with this a bit more now so I'm calm and rational enough to comment on the draft. I consider it a serious blessing that I was away from a TV and a computer on Tuesday night because I would have been BREAKING STUFF as I watched Konz fall into range and then NOT get picked by the Lions.

The more I learn about Rieff the more I like the kid. He's a fricken GIANT at 6' 5", he seems to have the measurables (other then his apparently stumpy for a LT arms), he's a 3 time state wrestling champ (which has to have taught him a thing or 2 about using his body for leverage) and he came from a program with a strong pedigree for coaching OL. I was mad at the moment that we didn't take a potentially perennial pro bowl Guard in DeCastro, but let's face it we need a LT really bad too. If Reiff is reliable and consistent but not world beating, I'm okay with him.

I am still mad that they didn't take Konz though. Look at what the Steelers did this year. They FIXED their OL. They've had issues with their QB protection for years, Big Ben got pummeled AGAIN this year, and the Steelers did something about it. I'm not sure that I have total faith in Mike Adams, but by taking the best OG in the draft AND a potential LT they did a hell of a lot to fix their OL. The Lions could have done the same thing. They could have bumped Peterman right off the roster, put Gos on the bench, Rieff at RT for this year, and Konz at RG for this year until he took over for Raiola. And assuming that one of 3 of our RBs were healthy, taking Konz in addition to Rieff WOULD HAVE improved the running game immediately.

BuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuT............

I'm going to put a little faith in Schwartz and Mayhew because they deserve it. In 3 years they turned an 0-16 team into a 10-6 team and they did that with almost NOBODY on the roster to begin with that was worth even keeping. Now they can build DEPTH.

I'm still mad that we didn't get one of the top 3 CBs, but Kirkpatrick was realistically the only one we had a shot at. If Bentley fits the system that well in their minds then I'll give him a shot. Greenwood could be a diamond in the rough too, and if even one of the 3 cracks the starting rotation this year then they should at least stabilize the secondary.

I'm not sold on any of the 3 LB/DE picks, but if "The Hammer" and company do something useful on ST then they improved the team. Hopefully one of them becomes a useful back LB or DE too.

As for Broyles, I'm still mad that it wasn't Konz instead, but a valid No. 4 WR IS a legit need, it just should have been solved later. In a sense though I get it. If Broyles really has that much potential and he has great hands and can take the slot role from Burleson, then he's worth the pick. If he's "The Black Wess Welker" Burleson will never be, then he plays an important role on the team. If he pans out, the Lions have a very solid WR core that will be set for years to come. Just like how they built the DL. If Broyles pans out, they made a good decision and they created another strength.

Could they have used Konz or a RB? Of course! But if Broyles produces I'm okay with this. It just means that they HAVE to take an OG/C and a RB next year.

Overall, I'll give this draft a B if Broyles pans out.

Author:

thelomasbrowns [ May 4th, 2012, 12:06 pm ]

Post subject:

Re: Your Thoughts Post 2012 Draft

Dan Miller had a great point: Bill Bentley had been creeping into round 2 on some draft boards. If we had taken Bentley in the 2nd and Broyles in the 3rd, would fans now be praising the Lions for a successful draft?

Author:

LionFan57 [ May 4th, 2012, 12:16 pm ]

Post subject:

Re: Your Thoughts Post 2012 Draft

thelomasbrowns wrote:

Dan Miller had a great point: Bill Bentley had been creeping into round 2 on some draft boards. If we had taken Bentley in the 2nd and Broyles in the 3rd, would fans now be praising the Lions for a successful draft?

No. I still not would not be satisfied. Broyles was a moronic pick! Even if he was healthy. Plus, in the senario proposed, Bently would have been a reach at # 2 - and - there would still have been no excuse for not taking Konz!!

Miller is just towing the company line and trying to put lipstick on a pig!